Diggle’s Rainbow Coloured Eggs

Entrepreneurial Pupils at Diggle Primary aren’t chicken when it comes to business.

A group of 10 – 11 year old children in year five have, with their teachers, devised a business plan for the production and sale of rainbow coloured eggs.

With support from the school’s governors, teaching assistant Beverley Cocker and site manager, Chris Ryan, the group have built, on the school’s grounds, chicken coops, pens and purchased over twenty chickens.

They plan to produce a range of multi-coloured eggs, which can, in the Spring, be sold to the public. The money raised will be used to fund and further develop the project. Parents are fully supporting the project and have been given an opportunity to buy shares in the business. Shares are being sold to parents for £5 each and are restricted to 10 shares each.

The group of young class five entrepreneurs includes: Lottie Redfearn, Joshua Russell, Hope Moynihan, William Yarwood and Tom Brierley.

Joshua said: “We’ve bought twenty five chickens; ten Warrens, three Aracanas, two Silkies (they’re our pets, called Thelma and Louise), one black Leghorn, three black and one blue Maran , two White Star and three cream Legbars. The chickens are producing eggs but they have only been sold to teachers as we won’t produce enough for the public, until March. We don’t get many eggs at the moment, as spring is their main laying season.”

Tom said: “The chicken is the closest relative to Tyranosaurus-Rex but they are much friendlier! Mrs Cocker and Joshua Russell are the softest people with the chickens. The chickens have learned to wait for them to come in a morning to give them their corn. The chickens love mixed corn, even though it is a treat “it’s like chocolate for chickens.”

Lottie said: “In the future we might get a couple of cockerels (which will be kept at Mr Ryan’s farm). We can then put any eggs they fertilise under the Silkies. We hope they will become broody and hatch out some cute little chicks.”

Hope said: “We can start selling eggs because we’ve added treatment to the water to make the eggs safe to eat.”

William said: “We are hoping to generate a profit for the shareholders and also raise some money for our school.

“We will have to get more hens in the future as they will eventually stop laying as they get older.”

Deputy head Stephanie Moore said: “The children have really impressed themselves with this project. Having chickens teaches them about the whole food process and gives them a real insight into operating a business.

“Their business plan gives an inventory of the poultry including Aracanas which lay pale blue eggs and copper Marans and cream Legbars which lay other coloured eggs.”